Monday November 19, 2018

Case of the Week

Lucky Lucy Asks If "Northern Long Shot" Can Lobby?

Case:

Lucky Lucy Lindstrom finished college and headed west. She started as a financial analyst with a large company in Seattle. After just
four years, she became a Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) and began advising clients. Lucy also managed her own investments. With her keen insight into
financial markets, Lucy soon began to move from traditional stocks and bonds into futures and commodities markets. Lucy was so successful in these markets
that she now only manages her own large personal portfolio.

Somewhat late in life, Lucy discovered the wonderful world of philanthropy. She volunteered at her favorite charity and learned that giving someone in need
a helping hand is even more gratifying than making another million in the futures market.

Lucy had invested $1,000,000 in stock in a Canadian oil "wildcatter" with the name Northern Long Shot, Inc. This company has been drilling new exploratory
wells in the far north. Recently, the stock rose from the $1 per share that she paid to over $5 per share. After this success, Northern Long Shot decided to
"spin off" a smaller company with a portion of the successful wells. Lucy exchanged her $5 million in stock for 60% of the stock in the Northern Long Shot,
Inc. spin-off. After the exchange, Lucy decided to give the Northern Long Shot spin-off stock to a private charitable foundation to help those in need.

Lucy has many friends who are active in the oil business in subarctic regions. They would like to drill for oil in an Alaskan Nature Preserve, and it is
possible that their success would also benefit Northern Long Shot, Inc.

Lucy discussed options with her attorney. She asked her attorney about the ability of her private foundation to help in the lobbying effort to open up the
Nature Preserve for oil development. After all she thought, Northern Long Shot, Inc. would benefit from the drilling for oil and could do more to help the
needy.

Her attorney noted that private foundations are subject to various rules on self-dealing, minimum distributions, excess business holdings and taxable
distributions. Lobbying is not a permitted distribution for private foundations.

Question:

Lucy said, "Wow! There are a lot of rules for private foundations. Why would my private foundation have to avoid spending money
on lobbying? After all, it could benefit from this oil drilling in the far north."

Solution:

Her attorney explained that money spent by a private foundation that is not consistent with the foundation's charitable purposes
is called a "taxable expenditure." Taxable expenditures include any of the following: lobbying; most voter registration drives; grants to individuals
(unless grantmaking procedures are approved); and grants to any organization not classified as a public charity (unless expenditure responsibility is
exercised).

Lobbying is clearly prohibited by the taxable expenditure rule. If there is lobbying, there may be a 20% excise tax on the private foundation. As a
foundation manager, if Lucy knowingly participates in the taxable expenditure, she would be subject to a 5% excise tax (with a $10,000 cap). If the private
foundation does not correct the taxable expenditure by recovering the taxable expenditure or taking other corrective action prescribed by the IRS, an
additional 100% excise tax on the taxable expenditure is imposed on the foundation. Sec. 4945.

Lucy thought about these rules. As a result, she reconsidered and decided that the Nature Preserve was not the right place to drill for oil. Lucy did not
make gifts from her foundation to the lobbying effort. Instead, she decided that her private foundation is better suited to make grants to charities that
focus on helping the needy.